Here is an important retirement planning tip. Most members can create their own pension estimate in minutes using Retirement Online.
A Retirement Online estimate is based on the most up-to-date account information we have on file for you. You can enter different retirement dates to see how those choices would affect your benefit. When you’re done, you can print your pension estimate or save it for future reference.
How to Estimate Your Pension
First you will need a Retirement Online account. Once you register and sign in, go to the ‘My Account Summary’ section of your Account Homepage and click the ’Estimate my Pension Benefit’ button.
You can enter the date (or age) that you plan to retire. You can use your current annual earnings or add in expected pay increases. You can also include any service credit you plan to purchase. If you add the birthdate for a beneficiary, you’ll see the estimated monthly payment amounts under the pension payment options that provide a benefit for a survivor.
Remember, the pension amounts you’ll see are just an estimate; it is not a guarantee of what you’ll receive when you retire.
Most Tier 2 through 6 members (more than 90 percent of all NYSLRS members) can use the Retirement Online pension calculator. However, some members may not be able to use the Retirement Online calculator because of their circumstances, for example, if they have recently transferred a membership to NYSLRS, or if they are a Tier 6 member with between five and ten years of service.
The system will notify you if your estimate cannot be completed using the Retirement Online pension calculator. Please contact us to request a pension estimate if you receive this notification. If you are in Tier 2 through 6, you can use the “Quick Calculator“ on the NYSLRS website. The Quick Calculator generates estimates based on information you provide.
Is our Final Average Salary calculated using the highest three fiscal years (April – March) or calendar years (January – December)?
For Tier 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 members, your final average earnings (FAE) is the average of your highest three consecutive years of earnings. These are usually your years of employment immediately before retirement. The years do not need to match up with calendar years or fiscal years.
You can find more information on our Final Average Earnings page.
Does the retirement online calculator apply the FAE tier 10% limitation that applies to my personal situation? The pension estimate the calculator is providing me is much higher than the estimate I received in the mail by calling and requesting my pension benefit. I’m trying to understand why. It is not my sick leave and 225 payout as I did not include those in the calculator. The difference is significant. Please advise which amount is correct.
For questions about pension estimates that you received, please message our customer service representatives using our secure contact form. Filling out the secure form allows them to safely contact you about your personal account information.
How much of my sick time is used to pay off health care premiums in retirement for tier 4 members? I work a 37.5 hr week. I see conflicting reports as to whether I should be saving up to 1237.5 or 1500.
NYSLRS doesn’t administer health insurance programs for its retirees. Your employer’s health benefits administrator should be able to answer your questions.
I requested a pension estimate back in August from NYS Retirement to get my numbers, as I would like to retire on 12/31/2023. I have gone on the site multiple times, and get the same number for the monthly pension amount. I went online to actually apply for retirement today, and when the payout it calculated, it is about $400 per year less than what my estimates show. How can I find out why this is? Please respond. Thanks very much.
For account-specific questions about your pension estimate, please message our customer service representatives using our secure contact form. Filling out the secure form allows them to safely contact you about your personal account information.
I am a CSEA member. Where do I send questions to regarding the over 1500 sick hours accumulated; and the benefits when I retire with 20+ years and over 64 years of age? Is there a web site or a person to contact? Please advise!
You can find general information about your pension benefits in your retirement plan publication. Use our online tool to find the right one.
For account-specific questions, please call our customer service representatives at 866-805-0990, press 2, then follow the prompts. You can also message them using our secure contact form. Filling out the secure form allows them to safely contact you about your personal account information.
If you have questions about health insurance after you retire, please speak to your health benefits administrator.
Did any PEF retirees received adjustments based on the retroactive contract? I retired in 2021 and the contract covered most of my final 3 years. You adjusted my sick leave allowance, but not my benefit amount.
NYSLRS is working hard to recalculate pension amounts and provide retroactive payments as quickly as possible. We apologize for the length of time this has taken for some retirees. Once we complete your recalculation, you will receive payment of all the money you are owed, and a letter explaining the change in your pension amount. Thank you for your patience.
I had retired in December of 2020 . All of my information ( vacation and unused sick leave accruals ) was forwarded to NYS Office of State Comptroller
I have yet to receive the recalculation of my pension.I have made several calls to the retirement system over this period and in addition to that I had also sent a letter to the recalculation department and have yet to receive a response or any information pertaining to my recalculation or a timeframe as to when this will be completed.
In addition I also had a conversation with a representative from the state comptroller’s office they indicated to me that there is no timeframe as to when this will be done. This has an overall impact when filing for Medicare as well , the back pay also increases your premiums (you a surcharged for the year) .
Truly unacceptable,
Grace
Virtually all initial pension payments are made timely by the end of the month following retirement. These payments are closer than ever to a retiree’s final calculation. NYSLRS often receives adjustments to earnings for retirees well after the date of retirement and is working hard to recalculate pension amounts and provide retroactive payments as quickly as possible. We apologize for the length of time this has taken for some retirees. Thank you for your patience.
I retired the end of 2019 and received my recalculated monthly adjustment in 2022. I did not expect any changes and received retroactive to my retirement date in 2019. Patience is what I recommend.
Would like to calculate my pension at this time. Woud also like to ask if I have put in 25 years as of today.
You can estimate your pension and check your estimated service credit in Retirement Online. To sign up for a Retirement Online account, go to the Sign In page and click the “Sign Up” link under the “Customer Sign In” button.
After you create your account and sign in to your Account Homepage, you can look up your estimated service credit under the “My Account Summary” section. To estimate your pension, click the green “Estimate my Pension Benefit” button.
If still have questions or if you are having trouble estimating your pension benefit, please contact the NYSLRS Call Center at 866-805-0990, press 2 and follow the prompts.
Where is the Pension increase bill that would have gave us a
“FULL” Cola instead of a half cola? What happened to the bill that would have increased the $18,000 base amount to $23,000 base amount for colas?
The decision on whether to adopt benefit enhancements or pass new legislation comes from the State Legislature and the Governor. The retirement system (NYSLRS) administers legislation and programs that are signed into law. You may want to contact your state legislative representatives.
If I retired in January 2023 how long should I expect to wait for my final adjustment? I just recently sold all my vacation time and received a check for it which I’m sure was not included in my FAS because obviously you didn’t know that info beforehand. Please respond.
When you retire, your pension payment is based on the salary and service information we have on file for you at retirement. In some cases, slight adjustments are made to the initial amount after we receive and process final payroll information from your employer. These recalculations are processed in date order and are generally minimal compared to the overall benefit amount.
Once we have all the information we need and we finalize your benefit amount, if your payment increases, you will receive a retroactive payment for the amount you are owed back to your date of retirement.